Tim Conway might be the only person who has been directly involved in what he calls the “alpha and omega” of modern comedy. After all, who else has been part of both the old “Steve Allen Show” and today’s “SpongeBob SquarePants”?
It’s a testament to Conway’s resilience, adaptability and — most important — comedic talent that he was a member of the cast of Allen’s groundbreaking 1961 television show and, decades later, provides the voice for “Barnacle Boy” on the absurdist Nickelodeon show featuring a talking sponge.
Of course, Conway is best known for his 11-year stint on “The Carol Burnett Show” in the 1960s and ’70s, a variety show that remains a favorite for an entire generation thanks to its loosey-goosey improvisational bent and the overwhelming talent of the cast.
Want to kill a few hours and walk away with your face sore from smiling? Just go on youtube.com and queue up some of the classic skits where Conway played the “Old Man,” “Mr. Tudball” or the clumsy dentist. The humor is all about pratfalls, improvisation and unrestrained goofiness, which is timeless.
“We just did funny for fun and that was silly stuff we did, but it’s funny,” Conway said in a phone interview from his California home. “It was a great playground and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get into things that complemented what I wanted to do in the business.”
Conway grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, outside Cleveland, with hopes of someday becoming a jockey. His dad was a horse trainer and Tim would ride the animals around the track to work them out.
Conway knocked around in Cleveland radio for a while before making his way to New York and hooking up with Allen.
“I guess it’s not knowing a lot about the business, just knowing that sometimes when you did things people laughed and so you kind of put that in your trunk and kind of figure a way to get that in front of an audience. I never really wanted to be in this business, so I had a certain amount of freedom because I knew nothing. When I came to do ‘McHale’s Navy,’ I had no idea what the hell film was about or any of that business.”
